He was a combat veteran of WWII, serving with the 45th Infantry (Thunderbirds) Division in N. Africa and Europe. James was awarded the Silver Star, Purple Heart and Battle Stars. He also received the NJ Distinguished Service Medal, and having personally witnessed the horrors of the Dachau concentration camp, he was active with other veterans refuting those who deny the Holocaust ever occurred - See more at: James Bird Obituary - Cherry Hill, NJ | CourierPostOnline.com The Dachau concentration camp pictured above on the day it was liberated by American forces PVT James R. Bird - NARA - AAD - Display Full Records - Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938 - 1946 (Enlistment Records) Valor awards for James R. Bird James Rollin Bird's Obituary on CourierPostOnline.com